What is the Best Time of Year to Travel to Borneo?

The best time to travel

Borneo lies within the tropics and for this reason you should expect high humidity and rain at any time of the year. The wettest months are generally between November and February when the Northeast Monsoon hits bringing strong winds and rain and so it is best to avoid at this time if possible. Mount Kinabalu is often closed at this time of year as it can be quite dangerous attempting the climb and it won’t be much fun sitting on a white sand beach with heavy downpours all day long. Wildlife safaris during the wet season are not too pleasant either, sitting in boats for two hours during torrential rain is hardly fun and the wildlife will normally be hiding amongst the trees making it difficult to spot them. 

Between the months of March and October is considered the dry season and so the best time to visit. It will be hot and humid throughout with temperatures rising towards the end of the season before the rains come. 

The best time for orang-utans is generally thought of as July and August, this is because certain trees are fruiting which attracts orang-utans as they like to feed on these fruits. This makes finding them on river or walking safaris easier as your local guides will know where to look. Between March and May Whale Sharks can be seen not far off the East coast and so makes for excellent diving. From June to September is the turtle hatching season and on islands such as Lankayan, sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. There is a hatchery on Lankayan Island and so you can witness the release of hundreds of newly born Green and Hawksbill Turtles into the ocean.